When undergraduate students at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley apply to medical school in three years, they’ll have diagnosed more cases of epilepsy and diabetes than most of their peers. As part of their coursework in a new biomedical sciences program, these current freshmen will complete 16 virtual rounds in which they’ll explore diseases from a variety of perspectives: patients, physicians, insurance providers and policymakers. Outside of class, they’ll review biology and chemistry content on personal iPads and meet weekly with student success coaches who help them stay on track.
